Tiemoue Bakayoko has made it clear that he plans to return to AC Milan this summer, speaking to Tuttomercatoweb amid claims that Newcastle and West Ham United want the Chelsea misfit.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is no wonder Antonio Conte’s Stamford Bridge reign unravelled so quickly.
After storming to the Premier League title in 2017, this pocket rocket of a coach had his emerald eyes fixed firmly on a number of proven, big-name signings.
You can imagine his disappointment, then, when he ended up with Davide Zappacosta and Danny Drinkwater instead.
Bakayoko at least looked like a great piece of business, snapped up for £40 million after helping Monaco reach the Champions League semi-finals – but he too flopped spectacularly in Chelsea blue as the champions slipped into mid-table almost overnight.
Three years on, The Sun reports that the London giants have slashed Bakayoko’s price-tag in half as they look to finally sell a man who has no future under Frank Lampard.
West Ham and Newcastle, according to Le10 Sport in June, are both willing to offer the France international a second chance to prove himself in English football after he rebuilt his once-glittering reputation during loan spells at Milan and Monaco.
But, speaking to TMW today, Bakayoko has made it clear where his heart lies.
“Everyone knows that Milan is in my heart and I have good memories. At the moment I’m a Chelsea player, then we’ll see in football,” the Paris-born 25-year-old says.
With that Saudi-backed takeover falling through at Newcastle, and given that West Ham have spent big instead on Tomas Soucek, the door is open for Milan to make Bakayoko’s dream move become a reality.
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